23 U.S. Code § 116 - Maintenance

(1) Preventive maintenance.— The term “preventive maintenance” includes pavement preservation programs and activities.

(2) Pavement preservation programs and activities.— The term “pavement preservation programs and activities” means programs and activities employing a network level, long-term strategy that enhances pavement performance by using an integrated, cost-effective set of practices that extend pavement life, improve safety, and meet road user expectations.

(b)It shall be the duty of the State transportation department or other direct recipient to maintain, or cause to be maintained, any project constructed under the provisions of this chapter or constructed under the provisions of prior Acts.

(c) Agreement.— In any State in which the State transportation department or other direct recipient is without legal authority to maintain a project described in subsection (b), the transportation department or direct recipient shall enter into a formal agreement with the appropriate officials of the county or municipality in which the project is located to provide for the maintenance of the project.

(d)If at any time the Secretary shall find that any project constructed under the provisions of this chapter, or constructed under the provisions of prior Acts, is not being properly maintained, he shall call such fact to the attention of the State transportation department or other direct recipient. If, within ninety days after receipt of such notice, such project has not been put in proper condition of maintenance, the Secretary shall withhold approval of further projects of all types in the State highway district, municipality, county, other political or administrative subdivision of the State, or the entire State in which such project is located, whichever the Secretary deems most appropriate, until such project shall have been put in proper condition of maintenance.

(e) Preventive Maintenance.— A preventive maintenance activity shall be eligible for Federal assistance under this title if the State demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the activity is a cost-effective means of extending the useful life of a Federal-aid highway.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–141, § 1507(1), (3), redesignatedsubsec. (a) as (b), inserted “or other direct recipient” before “to maintain”, and struck out at end “The State’s obligation to the United States to maintain any such project shall cease when it no longer constitutes a part of a Federal-aid system.” Former subsec. (b) redesignated (c).

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–141, § 1507(4), added subsec. (c) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “In any State wherein the State transportation department is without legal authority to maintain a project constructed on the Federal-aid secondary system, or within a municipality, such transportation department shall enter into a formal agreement for its maintenance with the appropriate officials of the county or municipality in which such project is located.”

“(d) The Secretary in consultation with the State highway departments and interested and knowledgeable private organizations and individuals shall as soon as possible establish national bridge inspection standards in order to provide for the proper safety inspection of bridges. Such standards shall specify in detail the method by which inspections shall be conducted by the State highway departments, the maximum time lapse between inspections and the qualifications for those charged with the responsibility for carrying out such inspections. Each State shall be required to maintain written reports to be available to the Secretary pursuant to such inspections together with a notation of the action taken pursuant to the findings of such inspections. Each State shall be required to maintain a current inventory of all bridges.

“(e) The Secretary shall establish in cooperation with the State highway departments a program designed to train appropriate employees of the Federal Government and the State governments to carry out bridge inspections. Such a program shall be revised from time to time in light of new or improved techniques. For the purposes of this section the Secretary may use funds made available pursuant to the provisions of section
104(a) andsection
307(a) of this title.”

1983—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–424substituted “State highway district, municipality, county, other political or administrative subdivision of the State, or the entire State in which such project is located, whichever the Secretary deems most appropriate,” for “entire State” after “all types in the”, and struck out exception for a situation where such project was subject to an agreement pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, in which case approval was to have been withheld only for secondary or urban projects in the county or municipality where such project is located.

1978—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 95–599struck out provisions limiting provisions of the subsection to the Federal-aid system.

Amendment by section 21(d)(2) ofPub. L. 86–70effective July 1, 1959, see section 21(d) ofPub. L. 86–70, set out as a note under section
103 of this title.

Amendment by section 21(e)(3) ofPub. L. 86–70effective July 1, 1959, see section 21(e) ofPub. L. 86–70, set out as a note under section
101 of this title.

Establishment of Minimum Federal Guidelines for Maintenance; Study by National Academy of Sciences and Report

Pub. L. 100–17, title I, § 163,Apr. 2, 1987, 101 Stat. 213, directed Secretary to enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a complete investigation of the appropriateness of establishing minimum Federal guidelines for maintenance of the Federal-aid primary, secondary, and urban systems and, not later than 18 months after entering into appropriate arrangements, the National Academy of Sciences was to submit to Secretary and Congress a report on the results of the investigation and study together with recommendations (including legislative and administrative recommendations) concerning establishment of minimum Federal guidelines for maintenance of the Federal-aid primary, secondary, and urban systems.